I've read three Core Specialist Wizard books to date, and of all of them this is the one that I felt was the absolute best. For starters, the book begins with a new skill: Profession (Hypnotist) that not only manages to give mundane characters a chance to experience some of the thrills of the Enchantment school, but also gives a believable and interesting skill that the Enchanter core class can use.

Ordinarily, I hate (and I mean HATE) new skills that are developed exclusively for a single class (and even with the fact that anyone can do this, Enchanters are definitely the ones who would get the most benefit from it), but this one was done very well. This particular skill isn't really necessary for the Enchanter class. Sure, you'll probably benefit from using it, and I'd expect you to want to use it...but it's completely optional, so if you'd rather spend your precious skill points elsewhere you won't be up a river without a paddle (not like the Necromancer's Knowledge (Anatomy) class, which bordered on being necessary.)

The Enchanter as a core class itself also gives some wonderful benefits that you'd expect an Enchanter to be able to do, like hypnotising someone by just locking eyes with them without the need to expend a spell or take up an unnecessary feat slot. The class is built to give you exactly what you'd expect.

The magic items are, similarly, useful in a flavor-texty kind of way. From cupid's arrows, to an entrancing stone that might look better in a craft DM's trap list, this book is almost a one-stop shop for everyone who wanted to avoid psionics but still be a master of the mind. I don't think I've wanted to play a class as much after an initial reading as I do now. Thanks, Misfit Studios!

Of the three books I've read in the "Core Specialist Wizard" series, I'm sad to report that I think I got the least amount out of this one. Maybe I was just blown away by the fact that the Enchanter and Diviner books were done really well, or maybe I'm predisposed to be a harsh critic whenever it comes to Necromancer material, but I was hoping for a bit more out of this.

Having gotten that out of the way: this book isn't too bad, especially for a two dollar price tag. It offers a variation of the Necromancer specialist class as presented in the player's handbook, and gives it some of the capabilities of dealing with the undead that are normally reserved for wielders of Divine magic.

Here's the catch: it manages to do it all with an "arcane magic" feeling, as opposed to most other attempts at this which basically say "Here we'll handwave the fact that you, for whatever reason, are apparently wielding divine magic." The Necromancer truly is standing all on its own in its proper arcane shoes.

As with the other two entries in this series that I've read, this book begins with a new skill use: Knowledge (Anatomy). I wasn't as impressed with this as I was with the Con-Job approach to running a Fortune Teller Scam as seen in the Diviner book, and I wasn't really wowed with it like I was with the Profession (Hypnotist) skill shown in the Enchanter book. In fact, I was a bit put off by how mandatory the skill seemed in relation to some of the other feats, class abilities and such. It's not a bad idea, really, I just have high standards for new rule systems in my game that are necessary for the class itself but only really seem to have a focus within that class. Apart from providing a Heal check bonus, I don't think there was much that this skill would allow you to do if you weren't already a Necromancer.

One aspect of this book that I must give glowing praise to, however: the grafts. Most of the time when books try to show me a system where a player character grafts parts of other monsters onto them, I roll my eyes and skim past that part to the other stuff. This time, however? It all works. It makes sense. The grafts as portrayed here arrive as class features (that's right, not feats you need to waste a slot on, not magic items that cost a fortune to pay for, actual class features) that your character just gets as a way of showing that they are advancing through their knowledge of the necromantic arts. And really, that's what being a specialist wizard is supposed to be about, right? Studying one aspect of magic so closely that you begin learning the arcane knowledge that is lost to other people. The hypnotic eye of a vampire or paralytic hand of a ghoul is exactly what that demands (anyone else think that liches are a tad overused/overrated when it comes to arcane mastery of necromantic magic? No? Just me? Ah, well.)

I do recommend buying this book, but only (and I insist, only) if you're actively considering playing a Necromancer but don't quite want to take the version shown in the PH.

This book is free, and like the other titles in the 101 series it gives you just what it promises: a list of names that can be used as inspirations or story hooks (or word game clues) for GMs as they need them.

Ordinarily, considering that the only thing I have to give up to read it is the time it takes to download it and then go to the trouble of reading the words, I'd give it a five right away. However, in this case, I felt it was a bit lackluster. Unlike (for example) their list of potions, a location is something that a GM is likely going to have to reorganize (at minimum) a night's worth of gaming to include. Similarly, while some of the names were quite interesting, others seemed a bit generic. "Pantry of the Grail" is, when you think about it, the same as saying "Kitchen of the Drinking Glass" or "Dining Room of the Cup." I'm not saying it's bad, but compared to my expectations for this franchise, it's a bit lacking.

Another complaint is that we don't go all the way through the alphabet with these titles. The last five letters of the alphabet are missing. As a bonus to the readers of this review, I will add: Vestibule of the Ancients, Window of the Watchers, Xerxes' Planetarium, the Yestertime Marketplace and the Zoo Of Ooze. Okay, maybe those letters are a bit tricky to come up with names for.

Also: as an unashamed lover of puzzles, mazes and the likes, it borders on the inexcusable that the entries under the letter M don't include any mazes. I give them bonus points for including a labyrinth, though.

In the end, you can't get over the fact that it's still completely free, and it still gives you exactly what it promises. If you need an imaginative name for a place, then it really couldn't hurt you to take a look at this. For all my complaints, it's still earning a 4 out of 5 in my book.

Love your suggestions, they are pretty good. Just a note on Pantry/kitchen etc. I used the definition of pantry as a food store area and Kitchen as where the food is prepared etc for consumption in the dining room. I can see how it may seem the same at first glance though.

For a free product, this is actually quite informative. Since it's just a free preview you won't, of course, be getting 101 2nd level spells. What you will be getting is enough spells to let you know that these people are serious.

A few of these are natural extrapolations of other things ("Cat's Curse" seems a bit overpowered when compared to "Cat's Grace", in my opinion), and others are their own unique thing.

If you've got a d20 or Pathfinder character who might need a few more 2nd level spells, then I highly recommend giving this a read. Who knows? It might convince you to get the full product.

The good news: it's completely free and delivers exactly what it promises. The bad news: it leaves the heavy lifting to you. What I mean by this is that the product is, effectively, a list. This list provides you with 101 names for Potions, Elixirs, Beverages, and the like, and if you're an imaginative person then that is all you'll need. If by casually perusing this list you see a name that gives you an idea, then fantastic.

Another possible use for this would be if you're a GM who creates puzzles, particularly word puzzles, for your players to use. It's an odd fantasy setting that puts a crossword puzzle into an epic quest, but if that's how you roll then this might just be your cup of Tea (and if Tea is your cup of Tea, then I notice that under T, the list includes three Ts.)

Also: if you're the type of person who feels that the Brew Potion feat in d20 games is a bit underdeveloped, then I'd recommend taking the names from this list and seeing what new inventions your mad alchemist can brew up. Have fun. Sincerely.

The Diviner: The Core Specialist Wizard provides a few useful examples of what I call "flavor rules" for playing one of the Specialist Wizards that the players handbook briefly discusses. Ultimately, Diviners aren't normally anything more than "Wizards" with a special knack at scrying or predicting. These Diviners, however, act more like you would expect a diviner in a movie to act.

For instance, you know in movies when a fortune teller tells a main character "There is a great evil watching you, be careful." Or in a book where a mystic says "This room is wrong...there, something is hidden over there!" In D&D, I would expect Diviners to be able to do that, but since there are no rules expressly stating that they can, many GMs won't be keen on just handing that information out to the players. This product gives you some flavorful rules for Diviners so that you have something concrete, on paper, to point at.

It has some other fun elements that make the $2.00 price tag worthwhile, in my opinion. I have a rogue who I know will begin pulling the "Fortune Teller Scam" that they list here. And the magical deck of cards in their magical items section manages to bring the air of whimsy and chance to the game that the Deck of Many Things brings, while at the same time leaving out the horrible consequences to the game should players draw cards that throw the entire story out of balance.

There are one or two problems with the text. A few printing errors here and there, and one of the feats was printed twice in a row for some reason. I also felt that some of the things in the Oracle prestige class would have really been good in the main Diviner class. If not for tiny complaints like that, I would've easily rated this as a four.

In the end, it's a good, solid piece of optional rule variants for you to look over for a reasonable price. Enjoy it, and add some much-needed flavor to your game.

Ordinarily when a company gives away something for free, you don't expect it to be complete. In this, however, I think that the World of Darkness people gave more than enough for an introductory game. A Nightmare on Hill Manor acts under the assumption that you'll be playing with some pre-made characters (theoretically you could limit skills and such to the skills of those characters) and lets the game master play through a scenario involving those people as they try to escape from a building.

The book offers useful insight and helpful tips for running both this story, and other stories in general. If you'd like to look at World of Darkness and see what it's all about, this is on of the best ways to do it.

This music is certainly evocative of the emotions that it is meant to convey. Having said that, though, the number of tracks you get makes the music a bit limited in scope. You'd either need to use it exactly for certain situations, or imaginatively come up with some method of using it elsewhere.

I bought it when it was free, and I'm relatively happy with it as mood music, though I've not had a gaming situation yet where I've actively been able to use it. Hopefully in time, though, I'll be able to.

Considering that this is entirely promotional material infused with a few tantalizing facts, this Sneak Peek does a good job of conveying just what the series is about. It tells you about the history of H. P. Lovecraft's stories, and how they relate to the themes and emotional tones that their upcoming games will present.

I've never played anyone from Aegis Kai Doru, but I've always wanted to. Tying in werewolves with minotaurs is just my kind of story hook, and playing a member of an organization that hunts down artifacts for use in an organization rocks.

Having said that, I kind of wanted more options from this book. This provided more story hooks for GMs to use than anything else. There are a few Relics for players (or, again, for GMs to give to players) and a lot of material about the history of the organization and the way you join it...but not much else.

That said, you're paying less than a dollar for it. This is definitely worth the cost, especially if you can catch it when it's on sale.

This is a good book and, if like me, you're playing as a Network Zero agent it can give you some handy tools to make use of, plus it provides a good amount of flavor text about the organization (not to mention story hooks) that a good GM could easily use.

My one complaint about it? I wanted more. I know you're only paying less than a dollar for it, and for that particular buck you're certainly getting your "money's worth." But I was hoping for some more easily applicable stuff when Network Zero becomes a conspiracy instead of just a compact.

In the end, however, it gives you more stories, and it gives you some nice weapons to use against the agents of darkness in the world. Use them wisely.

Bride of Portable Hole is a fun little magazine, so long as you understand from the beginning that it's meant to be humorous rather than effective. It contains a large number of articles that give you everything from prestige classes to stats for the legendary Gazebo (which is apparently quite a tough monster now). It's theoretically possible that you could gain some usage from the gaming options in here, but in reality you're better suited just reading it for the laughs (of which there are a fair number.) I have dabbled with the idea of the "magic user" class (a class that allows you to use and manipulate a far greater number of magic items than normal), but even they admit that that's not a very playable class (though they do have a few playable classes that, if you take them seriously, might be worthwhile.)

Ultimately, the best use of this book at the game table is as a creative stimulant which could help you to think outside of the box for your own game. And you never know, maybe you'll find an overlooked monster or spell in here that, under the right circumstances, will be exactly what you need...

One of the difficulties with superheroes as a genre is just how very open-ended it is. This middle chapter in the Aeon Universe Timeline manages to pull it off, however, by simultaneously providing a huge number of options for your by-the-book players/GMs while also granting a large number of jumping off points for players who want to craft their own hero to be their way.

I actually bought this as a supplement to my Adventure! game, and if you're buying it for that purpose then it's possible that you may be disappointed. The super-science feature, for instance, is no different (it is just as easy to invent a stat-enhancing drug in the early 2000s as it is in the mid 1920s, apparently.) While the book doesn't offer much in terms of base classes that Adventure! has, it does offer three prestige classes not found in Adventure!. Strangely, while the Vigilante and Crusader class left me a little wanting (I kind of wish that the Crusader's Trademark Attack gave you more than a +1 bonus), the class I found the most interesting was the Gladiator prestige class. Rather than an example of the broadest possible archetypes for heroes, the Gladiator is a more focused story idea.

Taken on its own merits, however, this book is astonishing, and allows you to do everything from subtle martial arts experts with a knack for using gadgets to planet-smashing tanks mutated well beyond the point of humanity. A definite buy that I wish had some more follow-up material than what already exists.